Kevin and Ruth Horan
Galcom International — Simcoe, Norfolk, ON, Canada
I, Kevin, love to create computer programs, and I love God, so it just seems logical to write computer programs for God! It was not always my goal to be a missionary, but by the time I finished college, God had put it on my heart to join Global Recordings Network USA (GRN). I had been volunteering my time there for several years, as their office was nearby. I started off setting up Linux servers for them to handle their email, website, authentication, storage (lots of storage!), and other stuff. I learned a lot as I went. After joining GRN, I also started to write software for them.
Ruth also works with GRN, managing much of the operations of the studio. She took on the massive job of organizing the data of over 22,000 pieces of media (records, reels, cassettes, etc.) dating back to 1940. Most of this data had never been entered into a computer system. With the help of many volunteers and software I wrote to streamline the process, almost all of this data has now been entered. Ruth continues to enter the remaining data and improve the quality of existing data.
In 2020, I felt my time at GRN was coming to a close. I am now working with Galcom International, a ministry that does radio broadcasting and also manufactures solar-powered radios and MP3 players. Ruth is also employed by Galcom but is seconded back to GRN, so she can continue doing the valuable work she has been doing.
During the transition, I had some extra time, so I decided to explore an idea I'd had in mind for a few years. That idea turned into Ergatas!